Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (19739)	4/4/1998 2:22:00 AM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Privatization is an interesting and useful concept but it is no more the panacea of our societal ills than is government aid. There are problems with privatization and it won't work for everything. Mixed solutions are probably required, as they are in most complex systems.

To: greenspirit who wrote (19739)	4/4/1998 3:16:00 PM
From: Grainne	Respond to of 108807

Michael, I am not sure who this Jennings person is you keep comparing me to, somehow. Is it Peter Jennings, the ABC newsman? I am totally unaware of his politics, but as you must know by now, I am not a socialist or a leftist. I believe that some combination of private enterprise and government regulation/intervention provides the most efficiently run society, with each strong sector creating checks and balances on the other. I am so happy you do not want any children to go hungry. It is really hard for me to imagine that anyone would let children suffer, in fact. But when you make the jump from feeding children who are very poor breakfasts and lunches at school, to assuming that I would want everyone in America to own a house that was given to them, and start talking about leftist conspiracies to suck everyone into a socialist state by pretending that they just want children fed, I am sure you could understand how I become confused at your intent, yes? I am not sure how your plan would work. Could you explain it in a little more detail? It seems that you are starting with our federal tax dollars paying to feed the hungry children, but with private companies doing the work. You know we both agree that is a good idea!! But then, after the public schools have been privatized, and the other factors you speak of coming into play (what factors are those, exactly?), how would you decouple the program from the private schools entirely? I would have to assume that there still would be about 15,000,000 children whose parents cannot somehow feed them. Would your program still involve the federal tax dollars that are distributed now to pay for the privatized school lunch programs? I already realize that you are involved in helping teenage runaways, Michael, and already believe you are concerned and compassionate. However, what you accuse me of--a liberal defeatist mindset that government is the only answer--makes you seem a little harsh sometimes. I have always believed in privatizing anything that will work well that way. I am very practical, and not very ideological at all, in my thinking. But since we are dismantling the public welfare system, and do not have a minimum wage that is a living wage in most of the country, more children, not fewer, seem to be going hungry. It is wonderful that you drive around and offer teenagers blankets and sandwiches, but there are just not enough individuals, charities and churches to make sure that every child in America is fed regularly. If there were, then we would not be having this big problem, would we?